Turkish UAV to Start Trials in Ukraine

The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 tactical unmanned aerial vehicle systems will soon begin trials in Ukraine. The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko disclosed that the aircraft are already in Ukraine, following a deal negotiated between him and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In November 2018, during an official visit to Turkey, Poroshenko visited the production facility of the Baykar Makina company, which is the manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems. On January 12, 2019, Ukrainian state-owned company Ukrspecexport and the Turkish company Baykar Makina signed an agreement on the purchase of the drone systems for the Ukrainian army.

According to interfax.com.ua, Poroshenko said the agreement between is part of a move to expand military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey and “fully complies with Ukraine’s strategic course” towards NATO and with its “standards and the open world arms market.”

“These newest tactical drones, in addition to high-tech characteristics, can also be equipped with modern high-precision missiles systems to destroy armored vehicles, engineering facilities and fortifications, as well as naval targets,” Poroshenko said on Facebook to comment on the signing of the contract.

The Bayraktar Tactical UAV is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance class system developed for tactical reconnaissance and surveillance missions. According to baykarmakina.com, all the UAV’s critical subsystems were developed in-house.

The UAV reaches a 24,000 feet operational altitude, has a 24-hour endurance, and its communication range reaches 150 km. The aircraft features a fully autonomous flight with triple redundant flight control system.